


did i actually know what love is?

by STARRYHN



Category: Start-Up (Korea TV)
Genre: F/M, a tiny bit of angst?, elevator scene, i'm so angry with the ending so here, jipyeong and dalmi are cuties, jipyeong best boy !!, jipyeong gets a happy ending, mostly fluff !!, this is so length wtf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27981099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARRYHN/pseuds/STARRYHN
Summary: What Dalmi didn't expect to happen today was get stuck in an elevator. With Han Jipyeong, out of all people as well. It wasn't because she hated him or anything. It's just she never knew what they even were. They talked too formally to be friends but they had been through too much not to be friends. Ex-mentor, childhood friend from letters that conforted her, a person who constantly helped her out, someone who was close with her grandmother. There was many labels for Han Jipyeong but what was he exactly to her?
Relationships: Han Ji Pyeong/Seo Dal Mi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	did i actually know what love is?

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to recreate the elevator scene minus Dosan and also add my own style to the story !! I hope it's interesting and I did a good job with it because I was annoyed with the ending (Jipyeong deserved better) so I ended up creating my own ending where Jipyeong finds happiness and satisfy my jidal heart

a obviously tired and drained figure dragged her feet but before dalmi made her way to the elevator, jipyeong gently tapped her shoulder to gain her attention. the female turned to face him in response and a soft small smile appeared on her lips. "ah, director han! how are you doing?"

jipyeong didn't understand his body's reaction to that simple question as it signalled that she cared about him enough to even ask. he instantly shook off that thought, he thought he was going insane. he realised she was probably asking out of basic courtesy especially because of his position, it was expected dalmi had to be nice to him.

jipyeong supressed that feeling, deciding to focus on another issue. "nevermind that, i should be asking that question to you. you don't look like you're doing well, are you okay?" jipyeong looked at dalmi with so much concern in his eyes, dalmi almost about to reveal her worries before she realised. he avoided her question. 

"you're not getting away with not answering, i genuinely want to know if you're doing well and i'll only respond to your question if you answer mine." her eyes said everything. the way dalmi looked at jipyeong was with such gentleness that he could tell that she was being genuine with her words. the male felt warmth spread all over his body. he felt loved. jipyeong supposed that was dalmi's charm, she treated people she was on good terms with kindness and in response, they felt her love and care for them.

"director han?" dalmi looked at him curiously, trying to figure out what was on his mind. god. jipyeong realised that he was just staring her, probably looking as whipped as he felt, while all his thoughts about her flooded his mind. he passed off his dazed state with a chuckle. "ah, i apologise. i was just thinking about how you and your grandmother both seem to possess the trait of being strict and bossy yet kind at the same time. it's clear that you're her granddaughter for sure." not exactly what was on jipyeong's mind but it's not like it was a lie. both of them were similar in their way of showing care.

dalmi laughed as well. "please, if anything i'm less toned down than her. she would fess about you dodging the question and bombard you with questions like if you've been eating well and if someone has been bothering you lately. personally i think you're lucky that you're facing with me and not with her with this situation." she paused. "stop trying to get away with this. you didn't answer." jipyeong responded with a soft smile. "i wasn't meaning to avoid it the second time, i just got distracted the second time. i didn't mean to make you worry. i'm doing well, a bit busy but that's normal in my daily life."

dalmi rolled her eyes. jipyeong hadn't changed from 3 years ago when they first met. he still surrounded himself with loads of work, that's just how he always was. however, she couldn't help hope that it wasn't taking a toll on him. "remember to take care of yourself as well. working hard means well but taking yourself is important as well." jipyeong's dimples resurfaced at her concern. "yeah, i will. i promise, i appreciate you reminding me that. how have you been doing, ms. seo?" the male put an emphasis on the you part of the sentence.

"right, right. i was coming to that. actually.. not the best. so you see morning group is planning on bidding and injae and dosan especially seem to want for our company to bid as well. i disagree though, it's an awful idea." jipyeong felt himself feel a sense of proudness and fondness at dalmi's words. 3 years ago, she would have agreed with her team and said they bid as well. however, the difference now is that dalmi isn't the same as she was back then and she's grown beautifully. she's changed a lot yet dalmi still retains the image of a capable and lovely individual that jipyeong had. just even more wonderful now.

jipyeong knew he was in too deep. "you're completely right for thinking that. i would have said the same." dalmi bit her lip, obviously deep in thought. "right.. do you think there's even a little chance of the company winning the bid though?" jipyeong being jipyeong knew he had to give her the harsh facts no matter how much he didn't want to hurt her. after all, he would rather not be given false hope and be hurt even more later on if he was in her position anyway. "absolutely not. it would be extremely unlikely and it's just not worth the risk." dalmi frowned at his words and sighed, lowering her head. "yeah, you're right as usual. a part of me thought it would be possible. thank you for always telling me your honest opinion no matter what."

although he didn't regret his choice, the way dalmi looked completely done and upset pulled on his heart strings. he almost was tempted to go back on his words but he knew it would be more beneficial in the long run. "ms. seo.. try not to worry about it. you're making the right choice even though others are telling you otherwise. i'm proud of you, really." the female raised her head to look in his direction. it was rare for jipyeong to give compliments so hearing that he was proud of her, she couldn't help but feel more confident in her original choice. "by the way, what smoothie do you want? i'll buy it for you, don't worry."

dalmi was about to refuse because she felt bad making someone paying for her but then realised the wording. "smoothie? i was about to order coffee actually." jipyeong wanted to ruffle her hair in that moment. she looked adorable, a small pout appearing on her lips. however, he was a coward so of course, he didn't. "yes, smoothie." jipyeong emphasised. "you look exhausted right now so i think a smoothie would be the healthy option. a coffee is going to make you feel energised for a while but that's all."

dalmi couldn't help think that jipyeong was a total loser. of course, he would insist on offering the healthy option. that seemed so much like him. in fact, she was sure that he made sure to spend some of his spare time, which he didn't dedicate to work, to doing some exercise. "i mean i'm sure you won't let me say no so fine, i'll let you buy me a smoothie." jipyeong lit up at the words while dalmi hummed, thinking of what she should get. "a blueberry smoothie maybe?"

he nodded, making his way to the cafe nearby. dalmi watched as jipyeong waited in line. it was heartwarming seeing jipyeong show his care for people. she appreciated it a lot, he usually showed care through small gestures that it was sometimes easy to miss. however, when she realised those small gesture, dalmi always felt grateful to have him in her life. in fact, if it wasn't for jipyeong, she would have been completely lost when it came to the business world.

the female tore her eyes from the direction from the cafe's direction when jipyeong waved a hand in front of her. "ms. seo, are you okay?" she snapped of her daze, quickly nodding. "yes, i just was thinking about something." dalmi's eyes wandered down to jipyeong's hand and her eyes lit up as she smiled brightly. "wah, thank you so much! you really didn't need to." jipyeong chuckled at how happy she was at such a simple gesture. "i know, i just wanted to. anyway, we should be going, you don't want to get home too late."

dalmi took the drink in her hand and nodded, giving a quick smile. once that was done, jipyeong pressed the button of the elevator. "by the way, tell your grandmother that she needs to stop giving me so much food. there's barely any space left in my fridge." dalmi simply laughed at that. "pretty sure she'll be glad to hear that. i'm pretty sure her life goal is to make sure you're eating well." that definitely sounded like dalmi's grandmother. she always made sure to treat jipyeong as if he was her actual son. to that thought, a small smile tugged on his lips. "i'm eating more than well, thanks to her. i'm pretty sure not even a pig gets fed this much."

again, another laugh from dalmi. to jipyeong, it was such a beautiful melody like one he would imagine a music box would have. one addictive enough that he wanted to make sure he makes her laugh more often. the doors of the elevator opens before she has much of a chance to respond and instinctively jipyeong lets dalmi enter the elevator first. once they both are in, the doors shut and jipyeong stays quiet, just enjoying the moment of them being together. jipyeong's mind told him that he shouldn't, he's just giving himself more reasons to hold onto the false hope. dalmi still likes dosan after all so what's the use of holding onto to pointless memories like this?

a sound snapped jipyeong out of his thoughts. "shit, the elevator broke." dalmi cursed under her breath but jipyeong still is able to hear it anyway. jipyeong simply presses the button and informs that the elevator is broken. once he finished speaking, dalmi opens her mouth. "so what now?" honestly jipyeong is confused by the question since the answer seemed obvious but he decided to answer anyway. "we wait." dalmi nodded, staying silent for a while, seeming lost in thought. "why are you so against my company bidding?"

jipyeong didn't know what he was expecting her to be thinking of but definitely not that. it wasn't an easy answer but he wanted to express his thoughts in another way other than 'it's not a good choice to bid, trust me'. jipyeong thought back to the letters and metaphor that dalmi once used. "because it's dangerous sailing without a map, you could die. it's a complete waste of time and it's a lot of work for something you don't expect succeeding in." his words came out a bit harsher than he was aiming for but regardless he'd like to think he got his reasoning across.

the letter analogy took dalmi off guard in all honesty. for a brief moment, she forgot that jipyeong was the actual dosan of the letters therefore he knows the contents of the letter. after all, it's not like it's a daily topic that is brought up. however, hearing that line makes dalmi feel touched that her words are remember though she's curious about why he's always so negative about things. "you're so much different from dosan.." dalmi blurted out. jipyeong experienced a bitter taste in his mouth and feels jealousy taking over. he bitterly thinks about how it's obvious she's even thinking about him in this moment and even comparing dosan to him.

dalmi realised the words that came from her mouth, her eyes widening slightly and she rushed to explain her words. "i mean i was thinking it because of how it's strange that completely opposites are both involved with my letters. it's just interesting." she shook her head, not sure how she got distracted from her original thoughts. "why do you have so little faith in working out though?" jipyeong sighed at the thought of his past. even though he tried not to show his emotions, dalmi can see that it is a sensitive topic for him and immediately regrets asking.

"just personal experiences made me realise that nothing in this world is easy to achieve." the female is about drop the topic but then she realised that han jipyeong is always like this. he always avoids talking about things that bothers him and lets it fester inside of him. that's the type of person he is. dalmi knows this because she realised that she barely talks about his personal life even though he makes numerous visits to her house which her grandmother simply told her how it was normal for him to be like that. also, from the way he reacted when she offered to help him. dalmi makes the connection of how he deals with problems all by himself.

while realising all of this, the information makes her blood boil. she just wished he was more open and easy to read. she wished that he didn't let himself deal with everything by himself. she wished that he leaned on people and let them comfort him. "you're always like this, you expect me to just let you suffer by yourself. i literally told you i want to be the first person to help you so why do you insist on shutting yourself out?" dalmi didn't expect herself to yell or be this angry but she was. jipyeong didn't expect it either therefore the reason why he froze.

before he had the chance to respond, a guy arrived to get them out of the broken elevator. jipyeong decided not to respond to dalmi rather thank the person and exited the elevator as his thoughts were just a mess. dalmi couldn't believe that she lectured him and he chose to ignore him. there was no way she was about to let him off the hook. "damn it, why did i lend dong-chun my car again?" jipyeong muttered but unfortunately for him, it was overheard by the other. dalmi thought this opportunity was perfect and didn't hesitate to grab on it. "i'll drop you to your house if you want." jipyeong shook his head in response. "it's fine, i'll just call him and tell him to come back-"

dalmi was practically glaring at him at this point. "no, i insist. let me take you back to your house." her tone of voice made it sound like a command rather than an offer this time. in all jhonesty, jipyeong felt slightly intimidated so instead of arguing, he chose to simply nod and followed her to where her car was. dalmi opened her car, getting inside and then waiting for jipyeong to do the same. usually when dropping someone home, she would ask the address of their place but this time she didn't have to. dalmi had already been to his place, she remembered this because it was where she was told that "dosan's office" was which was then revealed that that fact was actually false. in addition, her grandmother made her make visits to his apartment numerous times to send him food so it ended up being engrained in her memory at this point.

the drive to jipyeong's was way too awkward and tense for his liking. he wanted to say something but his mind couldn't think of anything that wouldn't end up making it even more awkward. dalmi, on the other hand, was lost in her thoughts about the previous conversation that the two shared not too long ago. before they knew it, they had arrived at the destination. jipyeong forced a smile. "thank you for the ride home, make sure to get home safely, okay?" dalmi snapped her attention to him. she realised she still hadn't achieved her purpose for offering him a ride in the first place. "wait." jipyeong looked at her, carefully waiting for her next words. "i want to continue the conversation in the elevator."

jipyeong sighed, knowing that dalmi could be quite stubborn when she wanted to and he could tell that today was one of those days so there was no point of trying to say anything against her statement. "fine, at least come inside. it'll be more comfortable to talk there." dalmi simply nodded and got out of her car. she watched as jipyeong took out his keys and opened the door before following him inside. "take a seat." jipyeong said, gesturing to the couch and sat on the couch himself. dalmi did the same. at first, they both were silent, waiting for the other to talk. deciding that the silence was getting too unbearable, dalmi was about to talk before getting interrupted by jipyeong before she even opened her mouth. 

"...why do you care so much?" jipyeong's voice was soft and fragile like he was about to break any moment. dalmi didn't expect that reaction from him. she was expecting yelling and anger for her butting into his business or heck, anything else. she had never seen him vulnerable before so this reaction was a surprise to her. "because you're always making sure that i'm okay, isn't it natural if i do the same?" jipyeong wanted to kick himself. of course he knew she just felt nothing more than gratitude. he didn't know why he thought otherwise. after all, dalmi is in love with dosan. it was practically a fact by now.

usually he wouldn't dare show vulnerability to anyone other than dalmi's grandmother but today was different. he just felt completely tired and drained from pretending he was okay so emotions took over his logic. "so what? you're not going to be able to help so why even bother trying?" jipyeong snapped. dalmi didn't know why but the statement irritated her so much. "does that even matter? even if it may seem impossible, i want to at least try to help. even if i can't help, i want to listen to you talk about your problems. i want to lift that weight of you bottling your feelings away. it's hypocritical of you saying this when you try to help me when there's a chance that you could fail." dalmi raised her voice, matching the volume of jipyeong's words.

dalmi didn't even know why it bothered her so much because usually if someone repeatedly said they didn't want her help then she would just give up. to her, it wasn't worth constantly offering help. however, jipyeong was different. he had always been there for her no matter if she discarded his advice. he always did small gestures to make her feel comfortable even though she never asked him to. jipyeong made her feel warm when he helped her. he made her feel safe. 

it clicked. the emotions that she was feeling towards jipyeong. she never thought of it as that emotion before. after all, she felt so much different with him from what she felt with dosan. she thinks the difference between the feelings is what made her realise so late. with dosan, she felt a thrill with being with him, like everyday with him was adventure. he made her feel like she could do anything. he made her heart hammer with his big gestures like standing up for her when injae's step-dad insulted her. 

however, it was different with jipyeong. he made her like she could trust him and be vulnerable with her. he made her feel safe and warm when he did small gestures to make her feel okay. jipyeong even challenged her thoughts, giving her facts and not dreams and hopes. most importantly, when she was with him, it felt like talking to someone who truly knew her and she didn't want their conversations to end. she realised that what she felt for dosan wasn't love. love wasn't like what was described in movies or books. dalmi realised to her, love was feeling like she found someone who seemed like she was always meant to meet and made her feel complete.

dalmi wanted to laugh bitterly. it's like the world hated her. she probably realised her feelings too late and he had already moved on. after all, 3 years was a long time and so much could happen during that time. it could easily be enough time to get over her. without realising, tears spilled from her eyes at the possibility. worry took over jipyeong at the sight of dalmi's tears. "dalmi, are you okay? i didn't mean to hurt you with my words, it's just i don't know how to react when people genuinely seem like they care about me."

dalmi shook her head as he pulled her into a hug, trying to rub her back to soothe her. she really lost her chance with being with someone like this. someone who was too kind for her and who never asked for anything in return. she was stupid. "it's not you, you didn't hurt me with your words. it's something else. it's the fact that i realised that i love you too late." jipyeong froze, not moving for a seconds. he was sure his ears were deceiving him, he must have gotten to the point that he was desperate to hear her say those words that he was imagining it now. jipyeong pulled away from the embrace, looking her straight in the eyes. "what did you just say?"

dalmi felt her heartbeat speed up, she was nervous to hear what he had to say but she might as well repeat it since she already said it once. "i love you, han jipyeong." jipyeong just stared at the female for a while before speaking again. "i thought you loved dosan, i mean you even cried because you were such a mess in front of him-" even though it seemed cliche, dalmi decided to shut him up with a kiss. jipyeong's eyes widened as he realises that this is actually real. the person he had been waiting to feel the same way is kissing him. like actually kissing him and it's not a dream. jipyeong finally returned her actions and placed his hand on her cheeks. 

it started out as a gentle kiss with both of them wanted to treat the other with care then escalates into a make out session with their lips moving in sync with other, both of them almost competiting who can convey their emotions varying from love, desperation, passion to the other the best. eventually dalmi feels the need to move her hands, letting them reach up to his hair and just letting herself play with his hair as they went from getting air to kissing again a couple times before deciding to finally pull away. both of them let themselves finally breathed. "i love you too, seo dalmi." jipyeong smiled softly, kissing her forehead.

dalmi felt happy like she had everything she ever wanted. even though, she realised a bit later than she would have liked, she was still content with the outcome. "how did you realise you liked me? i'm a bit confused honestly.." dalmi laughed at his reaction, thinking he looked completely adorable. he looked like a lost puppy in moment. "i realised what i felt for dosan wasn't love. it was you who i loved all along." jipyeong's dimples appeared after hearing that answer, this was the happy ending he always dreamed of. jipyeong felt loved and that's all he wanted.


End file.
